Even if you are not very interested in politics, you still need to know the basics of the structure of the state in which you live. These foundations are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which describes in detail the principles of forming a parliamentary body exercising power - the Federal Assembly, which includes the Federation Council.
Parliamentary structures of the Russian Federation
The Parliament of the Russian Federation is called the Federation Council and consists of two chambers - upper and lower. The lower house - the State Duma - is an elected body, and the upper house - the Federation Council - consists of representatives from each constituent entity of Russia. Subjects include an oblast, krai, autonomous republic or autonomous oblast within the Russian Federation. From each of these subjects, members of the Federation Council are elected and appointed - one person each from the legislative (representative) and executive bodies of state power of these regions, a total of 2 people.
The procedure by which the Federation Council is formed is regulated by a separate state law, which is called “On the procedure for forming the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation”. According to this law, representatives of the legislative body from each region are elected for the term of office of the body from which they were nominated. But representatives from the executive bodies to the Federation Council are appointed by the head of the subject they will represent. Their term of office in this case is limited by the term of office of the head of the given region.
What is included in the powers of the Federation Council
The Federation Council is a copy of such a Western authority as the Senate, it does not face certain tasks, its main activity is to approve laws adopted in the State Duma before they are sent to the President for signature. Those laws that require mandatory approval in the Federation Council mainly include regulations governing the budget, taxes, public finances, as well as issues of military operations and peaceful settlement.
Borders between regions cannot be changed without the approval of the Federation Council. Its approval is mandatory both when the President wants to introduce a state of emergency in the country, and when the issue of using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation outside the territory of the country is being decided. The Federation Council also sets the date for the election of the President and can initiate his removal in the event that an impeachment is announced after the President has been charged. The powers of this body, on the proposal of the President, include the appointment of judges of the Constitutional and Supreme Arbitration Court, as well as the appointment and dismissal of the Prosecutor General, the Chairman of the Accounts Chamber and part of the composition of auditors working in it.
